Re: fresh - salt
Funny- that is exactly what some of these posts read like. My boat is 20 years old and has been used exclusively in saltwater. After every outing just wash it down, flush the motor and done. Only thing I have done is replaced a few fasteners that have corroded (about $20 in repairs).
+1
I was contemplating adding a neutra-salt system to my V-P and brought this up with my Power Squadron cronies at last week's class (marine electrical systems). I'm still thinking about it but I'll share what the others told me.
One guy is the original owner of a '92 Larson with Mercruiser I/O. All original.18 years. It sits in salt at his dock from May-Oct and gets flushed when it's hauled for the winter. The I/O is serviced annually, and he's on his 3rd set of mainfolds and risers. Says he's due to replace again in a year or 2.
The 2 other old-timers in the class run straight inboard boats, older than his, raw water cooled, still have the original power plants. Fresh water cooling? Not for my area- recommended AGAINST. Too much plant life in the Great South Bay. Sea weed and sea grass clog heat exchangers and cause overheating and boil-over. If you don't catch it in time you're sitting out there somewhere with a bilge full of anti-freeze.
I would never tell anyone that FWC is bad, but it pays to understand what others in your area are using,
and why
The key to everything is regular inspection and maintenance. Yeah, salt will kill your stuff in 25 or 30 years, but odds are better that it'll die of mechanical failure first, or that the motor or drive will just be tired and ready for replacement.
My .02
